An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations

The foundational text of modern economic thought, the origin of laissez-faire economics and contemporary free market thinking Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations was recognized as a landmark of immediately upon publication in 1776. As the first serious, data-driven argument for the principles of political economy, it is the point of departure for all subsequent economic thought. Smith's argument that human self-interest is the primary driver of economic activity, and that in aggregate that self-i